Two dump trucks belonging to state contractors misuse the same emergency crossover on Interstate 80 six hours apart.

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By HOWARD FRANK

poconorecord.com

By HOWARD FRANK

Posted Feb. 20, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By HOWARD FRANK
Posted Feb. 20, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

Two dump trucks belonging to state contractors misuse the same emergency crossover on Interstate 80 six hours apart.

Both trucks cause serious crashes.

The second one kills an East Stroudsburg man.

Now his family is suing the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and its contractors for creating what they call a "death trap."

Police reports give the following account:

Motorcyclist Meredith Capuano was rear-ended on May 11, 2011, at 7:48 p.m.

It happened when a dump truck used an emergency access road at mile marker 301.1 to cross from the west to eastbound side of the highway in Pocono Township.

Traffic came to an abrupt stop, and as she slowed, a Chrysler 300M hit her from behind.

Capuano was knocked off her 2006 Suzuki VL800 motorcycle. The 34-year-old slid almost 100 feet across the road, leaving a trail of clothing residue on the pavement.

She sustained major head and back injuries but survived.

The dump truck driver fled and was never identified, according to police.

Six hours later, just before 2 a.m., a dump truck driven by 72-year-old Richard Rice of Kutztown was traveling westbound on I-80.

Rice was working on an eastbound construction project, delivering asphalt for road repaving.

He slowed and turned into the emergency crossover, a graveled path connecting the two roads and used by emergency vehicles.

The truck then entered I-80 east.

Meanwhile, Philip R. Caroselli, 41, of East Stroudsburg, was returning home from a disc jockey gig in Mount Pocono. It was a side job he used to supplement his day job as an account manager with Coca-Cola Bottling in Mount Pocono.

Caroselli headed east into the construction zone near mile marker 301.1.

Rice's dump truck pulled in front of Caroselli before the East Stroudsburg man could hit his brakes, according to an eyewitness account in a police report of the crash.

Caroselli's 13-year-old red Chevrolet Astro minivan smashed into the rear of the dump truck just feet from the crossover.

Traffic stopped as debris littered both lanes of the road.

Caroselli was trapped in the driver's seat, pinned behind the steering wheel.

He was still breathing, although labored, according to the first trooper to arrive at the scene.

Pocono Township firefighters freed Caroselli as the trooper tried comforting him. A helicopter landed on the highway near the crash to evacuate the injured man, but it was waved off when emergency crews began CPR on Caroselli.

He was taken by ambulance to Pocono Medical Center, where he died from his injuries.

Caroselli was a husband and father of three.

The two crashes were both caused by construction vehicles' improper use of the emergency crossover at mile marker 301.1, according to police reports and the lawsuit, filed on behalf of Caroselli's widow.

Alcohol was not indicated in either of the crashes, which happened six hours and 10 minutes apart.

Lawyers representing Caroselli filed suit in Monroe County Court of Common Pleas alleging improper and unsafe practices led to Caroselli's death, according to court papers.

The complaint accused construction crews of creating a "death trap" in the construction zone.

The suit charged that PennDOT and the other defendants "not only preauthorized and/or directed the dangerous use of the median crossover at mile marker 301-1 prior to subject crash, and without flaggers, but ratified and continued to authorize such dangerous use for an extended period of time" after both crashes.

The suit also alleges crews failed to block off the median crossover for days and even weeks afterward, intentionally and recklessly endangering the public.

State regulations allow construction dump trucks to use the crossover in a safe manner, according to a police report of the incident.

The incident is considered a construction zone crash.

Nils Hagen-Frederiksen, press secretary for the Office of General Counsel, wouldn't comment on the lawsuit, citing policy regarding pending litigation. The office handles lawsuits filed against PennDOT and other state agencies.

Named as defendants in the lawsuit are the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Rice and six subcontractors.

Caroselli is survived by his wife, Linette Caroselli, and three children.